Big wheels rolling through fields
Where sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams

- Land of Hope and Dreams, Bruce Springsteen

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The moment he saw the small boy, something shifted inside of Sirius Black.

The day had started off as he suspected. His father lecturing, his mother snip-snip-snipping, each word like a little blade digging under his skin. The worst part had been saying goodbye to his brother. He couldn't even properly hug him, since their father had been hovering over them with the Don't You Dare Think About Showing Emotion face. Regulus had felt a little shaky when he and Sirius clasped hands briefly, a flash of worry in his dark eyes.

Be good, Sirius thought as he turned to leave his brother. He knew Reg would be okay. Reg was the good one. Sirius was the problem. Reg only got into trouble when Sirius was around so with Sirius gone...

The train ride had started out as boring. He ran up and down for a bit then found a compartment with a couple other first years. They all seemed as boring as the train ride until the doors burst open and a messy-haired Indian boy flounced in.

"This train," he announced as he dramatically flung himself into the seat next to Sirius, "is in sore need of entertainment. Really annoyed my parents made me pack my radio in my trunk, at least then we'd have some tunes. I'd hide a firecracker in the treat trolley but that's a waste of sweets." He flipped his hair from his eyes, grinning at Sirius. "Hi! I'm James Potter, and incredibly bored. What team do you support?"

He was like a whirlwind, pulling Sirius into conversation in an instant as they discussed Quidditch. James, who had a mischievous glint in his eyes, a cocky smile, and a pocket full of pranks mirroring the stuff Sirius had hidden away in his school bag for the trip. It was an instant connection. He'd never be able to properly explain it, only that it felt like it was meant to be, the two of them meeting like this. The only blip had been when someone else joined to talk to some crying girl huddled in the corner, and James overheard the word Slytherin.

"Slytherin?" James abandoned his conversation with Sirius immediately. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" And he grinned at Sirius, waiting for agreement.

Sirius wasn't sure how to respond. I'm going to be one, he wanted to say. He completely understood the reason for James's words. He knew who the Potters were. Rich-beyond rich-and Blood Traitors. Not that they had married anyone impure, of course, but their opinions...

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," Sirius settled on. The boy talking to the crying girl gave a slight sneer at that, probably realizing who was lounging there. He had never said his surname-not even to James, yet-but if this sallow-faced boy was from a long line of Slytherins he'd no doubt recognize a Black.

But Sirius just waited for James, a little bit worried, waiting for him to say something awful, cut them apart, give Sirius that emptiness back.

"Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right," the other boy responded. Sirius grinned at the teasing tone and the sparkling hazel eyes.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition..." He wanted to. The thought of being in Slytherin was more than Sirius could handle. He didn't want to be there, not for anything. He suspected, however, the Hat would go on him and announce SLYTHERIN! before he could even argue. He was ready, though. He was ready to assault the Hat with as much Anti-Slytherin thoughts as possible.

He wasn't sure he could survive Slytherin.

He had barely survived his family this long. The thought of being around people like them at school...

"Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" he asked James, already knowing the answer even before he pretended to brandish a sword and announce he was a Gryffindor through and through. Gryffindor, Sirius thought then wondered what that might be like. One of the Traitor houses. That and Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw were okay. Sirius had a few cousins in Ravenclaw. He thought if he managed to wrangle his way out of Slytherin then maybe the Hat would put him in Ravenclaw. Not that he particularly viewed himself as intelligent, however he considered himself fairly creative with the trouble he caused. That counted, didn't it?

No Black had ever not been in Slytherin though (the cousins in Ravenclaw didn't have the Black surname, so they weren't quite the same), not even Andromeda who was the least Slytherin family member Sirius knew. If Andy couldn't manage it he doubted he could.

He was barely aware of the conversation going on around him until the sallow boy said, "...if you'd rather be brawny than brainy."

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius asked, causing James to bust up laughing and the crying girl to get quite annoyed. She left the compartment with the wannabe-Slytherin, and then James gave Sirius a high five.

"See ya, Snivellus!" James called out.

"Snivellus?"

"She called him Snivellus, or close enough. He seemed snivelly to me. Didn't he to you?"

"Most definitely," Sirius agreed.

"Should have put a firecracker in his pocket," James sighed.

Sirius sat upright. "You have got some, then? I wasn't sure if you meant it, about the treat trolley."

They began comparing some of the pranks they had bought in Diagon Alley. James had quite a lot, clearly having a big allowance which seemed to have been spent solely at Gambol and Japes. Sirius didn't have much of an allowance (technically he did, however it was typically taken away whenever he caused problems which was to say nearly daily) but he did manage to buy quite a bit of stuff when he sneaked off away from his parents for a bit. They had been busy talking at the entrance to Knockturn Alley with some relatives. Andromeda's family, actually, meaning Andy was around somewhere but only her younger sister had been there, and Sirius disliked Narcissa so he hadn't hung about.

After a bit Sirius left the compartment with James to go and mess with other students. They let some toads loose in a compartment of first years (James had brought them) then played quite a spectacular prank which was Sirius's idea to throw a lit firecracker into an occupied stall. The sputtering and screaming were definitely worth it even when they tried to escape and some big guy grabbed hold of them, and the guy from the stall came out with toilet water dripping off his clothes. Somehow James and Sirius managed to escape. They took off running, trying to figure out a good place to hide. When they got to one of the last sections of the train they began trying doors but most were completely full of older students, and the last one-whose curtains were shut tight-was locked.

"Gotta try," James said, whipping his wand out. "Alohomora!"

The door opened and the two fell in, immediately shutting the door and bursting into laughter. James got up, locking the door then apologizing to whoever was in the compartment but Sirius was still laughing. "His face, his stupid face!" The enraged expression, damp from toilet water. Perfect.

"Once he catches us, you're dead," James pointed off.

Sirius shook his head, not caring. "Totally worth it!" He had worse things happen to him than some toilet-water-covered teenager.

Then a tiny voice piped up from the other side of the compartment. "A-hem. Excuse me. Erm. E—excuse me…! Um, I—I'm sorry but—I–I… prefer-alone."

Sirius finally looked at the person they had intruded on, and that's when things shifted inside of him. There was something familiar about him, but Sirius knew he had never seen him before in his life.

The boy appeared like he could keel over dead at any second. Sirius had never seen anyone looking so frail, delicate, or sickly (the shabby clothes certainly didn't help). He was even paler than Sirius so the dark smudges under his eyes stood out like beacons. Above the smudges were eyes the strangest color. Amber, with flashes of gold. His voice had matched his appearance: rather feeble and pathetic.

Sirius wanted to protect him.

He had never really felt that way before about anything or anyone except sometimes Regulus, but it felt different than it did with his brother. At least Regulus didn't seem as-as impossibly fragile as this kid, and Reg was a year younger!

James talking pulled Sirius out of his thoughts, then there was a knocking at the door. He and James retreated. "My poor face!" Sirius couldn't help but say, knowing that's probably what would get the brunt of the older student's vengeance.

Then miraculously the tiny boy got rid of the older students. It only took a few words, and the insistence he was sick. He is sick, Sirius thought, watching the back of the boy's head. Tawny hair. Light orange-brown, a few strands of gold mingled in that brought to mind his eye color. Except his hair was rather limp, clinging to his skull. He's very sick. With what, though? Something really bad, if Saint Mungo's couldn't fix him. Not bad enough that the kid couldn't come to school, though. He's going to be eaten alive. Sirius's heart lurched a little. No matter what house this child was put in, he'd be bullied in an instant. Sirius had been around enough bullies (aka his family) to know their thought process. There'd be housemates that would take pity on the infirm, but the bullies would be drawn to him like flies to honey.

There was something honey-ish about the boy. Golden and light.

James pulled Sirius to the door as the boy shut it. When he turned around and found the two of them right there he jumped a little, fear filling his eyes. "Bloody brilliant!" Sirius said, as a way of thanks.

"Are you really sick?" James asked, studying the boy. Sirius wanted to smack him. It's obvious he is! Sirius wanted to snap. He kept his mouth shut.

The boy scurried off to the seats, drawing himself into a corner, as if he wanted to shrink himself into nothingness. "Nothing catching," he whispered. "Erm, you c-can stay in–in–for… for a few– m–m–until… they go to–carriage…"

He could barely speak. Was that part of the illness? Even though he could barely talk, however, he had saved James and Sirius just using words. Sirius was glad the older student hadn't tried to push his way in. He could easily picture the small boy being shoved to the floor and breaking into thousands of pieces like glass.

Then the boy asked them what they did, and James and Sirius happily shared with him their prank. The boy looked rather startled when Sirius explained but didn't say anything mean about it. Sirius wasn't sure if he didn't care, thought it was funny, or wanted to turn them in. It could be any of those. Hard to tell.

After a few seconds Sirius was aware the boy was staring at them, and he finally decided to ask the question that had been burning in his mind since the second he had spoken. "So, what's your name?" He needed to know the boy's surname, needed to know who he was. Maybe if he did, he'd be able to know what was wrong. He wanted to know.

The boy looked as if Sirius had asked him something very personal. He shrank a bit more. "Th-they're probably g-gone by now."

Sirius flinched at how brunt the other boy was, but of course they had literally spelled their way into his locked compartment. But he didn't want to leave. He wanted to know more about the kid, and why he had made Sirius feel strange. "Right-o. Thanks for your help!" He rarely thanked people (wasn't supposed to) but the kid deserved it.

"Our hero," James added.

After making sure the coast was clear, James and Sirius left. As soon as the door shut behind him, he heard the click of the lock. Why is he keeping it locked? Sirius wondered.

"That was weird," James said as they went down the hallway.

"What do you suppose is wrong with him?" Sirius looked over his shoulder, staring at the closed door. "You think he's really okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess so. They wouldn't let him come to Hogwarts if he had anything contagious, right?"

"Yeah. But it must be bad-"

"Let's go set off some firecrackers in a girl's bathroom!"

Sirius finally looked back at his new-whatever James was. He hesitated to use the term 'friend' after such a short time, especially as they'd be going to separate houses. James was one hundred percent a Gryffindor. And Gryffindors and Slytherins weren't friends. "Yes, let's do that," Sirius laughed, pushing aside the dark thoughts for now. At least he'd have this one shining, beautiful train ride to get him through the darkness of Slytherin.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Except before Sirius knew it they were at the castle. It loomed above them, a grand piece of history that had been around for a thousand years. So many witches and wizards living out their teenaged lives. Sirius craned his neck back to look up-up-up to the tallest tower and glittering sky above. He felt his breath being taken away. He had watched it come closer during the trip over the lake, of course, but now standing in front of it he felt... incredible. Like he just did a loop-de-loop on a broom.

The doors opened and he went up the steps with James at his side. Then James slid his arm through Sirius's, linking them together. Sirius blinked in surprise while James grinned.

"I've dreamed of this moment my whole life," James whispered, "but it's better than I ever expected."

Together the two of them walked into Hogwarts, and Sirius couldn't agree more.

The time between that and the Sorting went by in a bit of a blur, though. He stood next to James in the Great Hall, wanting to grab onto him, not daring to. He just kept himself ramrod straight, aware of the eyes on him from the Slytherin table, from his many cousins. There were Blacks in almost every pureblood family somewhere.

"Beetle, Beatrice?"

Sirius clenched his teeth, clenched his fists as he watched the girl be Sorted into Ravenclaw. Please let there be one more student... I'm not ready to go to Slytherin. He wanted to put the Sorting off. Skip over his name.

"Black, Sirius?"

His time was up. He tossed his hair back, sticking his nose into the air as he went to the stool. He could hear the Slytherin table whispering. The voices faded as the black-haired witch placed the Hat over his head. GRYFFINDOR! HUFFLEPUFF! RAVENCLAW! GRYFFINDORHUFFLEPUFFRAVENCLAW!

Ah, but you are a Slytherin, my boy, the Hat said, almost cackling. A Black? Not wanting to be in Slytherin? This is quite an event.

Sirius grit his teeth. If you put me in Slytherin I swear to Merlin I'll light you on fire and dance on your ashes.

I've had worse threats from more frightening students than yourself, the Hat chuckled. You are cunning, young Black, and have the desire to make something great of yourself.

Yes, he agreed reluctantly, something great that isn't Slytherin or my family. Don't. Just don't. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, I'll tear up the Slytherin dorms if you put me there, you know what Blacks can be like-oh, I'll do HEAPS of terrible things if you put me there! I'll hex everyone, I'll tell all the houses the password, I'll find a way to crack the windows to the lake, I'll–

"GRYFFINDOR!"

He sat absolutely stunned as the Hat was removed. Everything was a blur. There were a couple of people at the Gryffindor table clapping but only a few and they immediately stopped when they realized nobody else was cheering. It was like someone had put the silencing spell on the entire Great Hall. He did his best to stand up, to hide his shaky legs. Gryffindor? He had been put in... Gryffindor?

Then voices began springing up at the Slytherin table. Traitor. Sirius felt his heart freeze. Traitor. He could hear them, the voices getting louder. Traitor!

He jerked a little when someone pressed their hand against his shoulder. It was the black-haired witch. Dimly he remembered her introducing herself as McGonagall. "Go on down to your table now." Her voice was kind and gentle, and so soft nobody else could hear. She gave him a slight nudge.

His heart began hammering as he put the Hat down on the stool, his entire body felt like ice now except for something hot burning in the pit of his stomach. The fire blazed as he kept hearing traitor traitor traitor, and caught a glimpse of glares, so many angry faces from the Slytherin table watching him.

He turned to face them completely. I'm not one of you. I'm not, and I've finally got proof. He wanted to shout at them, curse them, call them all idiots. He wanted to do something. The words ripped out of him. "SUCK ON THAT, SLYTHERIN!" He threw his hair back again, heading happily to the Gryffindor table, heart thawing and soaring. Gryffindor! GRYFFINDOR!

None of which were cheering but then someone was cheering, just one person. Sirius sat down, smiling at James standing with the other first years. He was clapping and whistling, grinning at Sirius, giving him a thumbs up. The Sorting began proceeding, and Sirius focused only on James. He felt the hostility up and down the Gryffindor table, felt the glares that weren't just from the Slytherins. The message was clear: he wasn't going to have an easy time at Hogwarts.

Easier than if I were in Slytherin, he thought, eyes finally breaking from James to look at the sickly boy. He wore his uniform now which should have made him look better now that he was out of his secondhand clothes but the uniform was clearly secondhand as well, and enormous, practically swallowing the kid. Sirius couldn't believe that his family hadn't gotten him a properly fitted uniform. Didn't they understand how important it was? Did they not care? Or maybe, whispered a cold voice in the back of his head, they couldn't afford it. Couldn't even afford a tailor? No, that was absurd.

If he's put in Gryffindor, I can protect him, Sirius suddenly thought, unsure why he felt so-so protective. It made no sense. Plus he had no idea what family tree the boy had so he didn't have any kind of hint where he'd end up. He had been leaning against a redheaded girl and-no that was the crying girl from the train, Sirius realized that only because the greasy-haired Snivellus stood on her other side until she was Sorted into Gryffindor, leaving the small boy alone next to Snivellus. Did the sick kid know him?

Merlin, is he going to be a Slytherin? Sirius clenched his teeth. He won't survive. The Slytherins would tear him to pieces.

"Lupin, Remus?" The sickly kid started to sway a bit like he might fall over. "Lupin, Remus?" Sirius raised his eyebrows at that, breaking out of his focus on the sick kid. No other name had been called twice. McGonagall had a frown on her face and the first years were looking at each other. Whoever this Lupin kid was, they were holding up the line. "Lupin, Remus?" McGonagall said a third time, very firmly. She was looking at the first years and then suddenly the greasy-haired Snivellus gave the sickly boy a rather rude shove forward.

He began creeping along, a slight blush in his cheeks as several students laughed. Lupin, Sirius thought, staring as he sat on the stool, the Hat sliding over his small head. The boy jumped almost immediately, probably from the Hat talking to him. Lupin. The name sounded a bit familiar but not enough to be very pure.

Lupin began shaking, clutching at the Hat. Sirius's fingers twitched as he waited. Not Slytherin. Surely the Hat can see that!

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lupin jumped, pulling the Hat off. He looked rather impassive however his hands shook as he set the Hat down. Sirius began waving at him (so did the redheaded girl) but Lupin went past both of them, going to the far end of the table, shrinking the second he sat down. Sirius lowered his hand with a puzzled frown.

There were still quite a few students to go until they reached the Ps then it was close to James. Sirius wriggled in anticipation while some pudgy kid took aaagggeeesss to be Sorted into Gryffindor and then Pocklington went to Hufflepuff then FINALLY James was called up. Sirius barely had time to lean forward when the Hat announced Gryffindor. The fastest Sorting of the night. The Hat had barely even touched James's hair.

James beamed and ran down to the table, crashing into Sirius who caught him. "Well done!" Sirius said, high fiving him.

"We're together!" James whispered as he slid into the seat next to Sirius. Something about the way he said it sent shivers down Sirius's spine. Together. It sounded... really good. Kinda warm in a strange way he hadn't expected-or experienced before. It felt right. Like some part of him had been missing for eleven years and now everything had clicked into place.

"We're going to cause so much trouble," Sirius laughed quietly. We're together. It's not just the train ride. I'm actually in Gryffindor, with this wild boy who doesn't seem to mind who I am. It felt too good to be true, and Sirius wondered briefly if he was about to wake up to find it had all been a dream.

"Definitely!" James adjusted his glasses, looking beyond happy. "I'm so glad I was put in Gryffindor. But of course there's no where else I would've been put."

They talked during the rest of the Sorting, the rest of the meal, and all the way up to the Gryffindor tower which felt like it took forever to get to. The common room was hidden behind a portrait of a huge woman and the kids clamored inside excitedly. Well, mostly sleepily. Sirius was excited. That's when Toilet-Water appeared. He grabbed Sirius, lifting him up off the ground, threatening to hurt him. Sirius didn't particularly care. He was in Gryffindor now. Let Toilet-Water pummel or hex him. What did it matter? He wasn't in Slytherin, he was in Gryffindor! But the prefect who took them up to the tower was rescuing him, though mostly she sounded bored.

The six first year Gryffindor boys went up to their dorm. Sirius tingled with excitement. This would be his new home. It was so different from his actual home. Home Back There was cold, dark, empty. This place... Gryffindor... felt warm, bright, and cozy. Of course it helped that he actually had someone with him. Together, he thought as he scanned the room for his trunk. It was easy to spot: it was the only black one. It sat next right by the door, on its other ide a bed with a rather nice, new trunk labeled 'M. Spinnet'. Next to Spinnet's sat very battered trunk whose initials 'R. J. L' were covering another set of initials. Next to R.J.L. was Struthers and then J. Potter and finally P.P.. James's trunk was really expensive and fancy looking. Mahogany where his was ebony, gold where his was silver. "Hey. Struthers, switch me beds."

Then, since Struthers didn't seem to take kindly to the order, Sirius began moving his trunk on his own. Struthers yelled at Sirius but then just moved his trunk, complaining bitterly as he did so. Sirius pulled his trunk to his new bed, next to James who beamed at him. Then James began getting pajamas out of his trunk, stripping off right there in front of everyone. Sirius hesitated then jerked back a little as someone rushed past him out of the room. Lupin.

Struthers and the pudgy kid (initials P.P. which made Sirius want to snort) left for the bathroom to change, while Spinnet changed in the dorm. Sirius pulled black silk out of his trunk. He didn't want to seem like a prude and really if things were different wouldn't care about anyone seeing his body but...

He crawled onto his bed and shut the curtains to change. Most his scars were on his back where he couldn't see though he had one on his side, one on his shoulder, and one on his thigh. His newest one. He ran his finger along the silvery mark, shivering a bit. Then quickly he pulled out his pajamas and emerged out into the dorm, hoping James would want to stay up and talk for a while.

Oh boy did he. He motioned for Sirius to join him on his bed, which he did a little nervously. He drew his legs up, feeling awkward at sharing but James seemed completely comfortable as if he owned the place. In fact, a lot of his mannerisms suggested a well-thought-of family history which, as a Potter, he had. They found they had a lot in common, not just enjoying pranks. They both loved Quidditch as they already knew (Puddlemere United all the way for both of them, though they both admitted the Montrose Magpies were pretty darn good too), flying, music groups, comic books, the same types of candies, the list kept going on and on. They talked and talked as everyone else fell asleep, then talked some more until finally James just outright asked, "Friends forever?" And held out his hand.

Sirius was taken aback. "Friends forever!" he agreed, more startled than anything else. He shook James's hand solemnly, then the two began snickering a bit. He had never, ever met anyone so… open before. It seemed a bit unnatural. And a little unnerving. But in a good sort of way.

Sirius returned to his own bed, feeling the pull of sleep. Friend, he thought, yanking the covers up. He's my friend. He had had 'friends' before, or at least kids his parents told him were to be his companions growing up. Other purebloods, stuck up, boring, none of them even finding it remotely funny whenever Sirius tried to pull a joke on someone (most of them tattled anyway, the rats). James was different. This was a real, proper friend.

For the first time in his entire life, Sirius fell asleep feeling rather at ease. He had some awful dreams though. Foggy, creepy, long-fingered hands reaching out to him, his mother's shrill voice yelling, Regulus whimpering in the dark, whimpering, wouldn't stop, someone hurt him, whimpering-

Sirius sat up. The whimpering continued. He blinked, fuzzily recalling where he was. Not his home back in London-no, no. Hogwarts. Gryffindor. And someone was whimpering. Then there was a sobbing sound that was cut off, as its owner quieted. The bed next to Sirius's. Lupin. Lupin was upset.

Sirius looked at his closed curtains, not sure what to do. He then heard Lupin's timid, frail voice whisper, "I want to go home." Then silence.

Homesick. Sirius lay back down, closing his eyes. He couldn't imagine that kind of feeling. Wanting to go home. If he had his way he'd just stay at Hogwarts every day of the year until graduation and escape. Homesick. Huh.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Morning arrived all too soon and Sirius woke up before the alarms went off. He was used to waking up early. Everyone else seemed to be still asleep so Sirius took this opportunity to change into his new uniform, very pleased with the gold and scarlet accents. The trim on his vest, his tie, it looked beautiful. He stood in front of the mirror, admiring himself, adjusting his wavy black hair, and staring nonstop at his tie. He ran his fingers down the colors, unable to stop grinning. He was still looking at it when the other students started to get up.

James tumbled out of his bed, his messy hair positively everywhere. "Morning!" he said.

"Morning, fellow Gryffindor!" Sirius couldn't help but say. James darted to the bathroom for stuff needed done then he returned, changing right there in the dorm, not caring.

Tiny little Lupin emerged from his bed, looking like a frightened animal. Sirius considered saying good morning to him but he just snatched up some stuff and took off to the bathroom like the night before. Sirius couldn't help but notice even the kid's pajamas were too big for him which seemed strangely novel to Sirius. Even as the hated member of his family, he had always had perfectly tailored clothes his entire life. Anytime something was ripped or stained it would be fixed meticulously.

"Um. Um." The pudgy P.P. kid nervously came over to Sirius. "D–do you remember wh-where the Great Hall is?"

Sirius frowned and looked at James. "Uhhhh…"

James was finishing tying his shoes. "I don't," he said carelessly. "Be an adventure to find our food." His eyes twinkled.

The other two kids in their dorm were gone by now and Sirius had no idea what to do. "I'm sure the portraits might help…" He thought of the portraits back at his house, how they always yelled at him too.

Then the Lupin kid came creeping back in, depositing his toiletries back in his trunk and then getting his socks, shoes, and tie on. He began knotting his tie completely the wrong way, clearly no idea what to do. His socks also didn't match. James marched right over. "Hey, Lupin!" he said. Sirius felt a little bad when the boy jumped, turning frightened eyes up at James. Lupin began trembling just very slightly. Sirius frowned, wondering what was going on. Why did he seem so… terrified? "You remember the way to the Great Hall?"

"Erm… th–think so."

James beamed. "Groovy! We'll follow you, then."

Sirius, James, and P.P. followed Lupin out of the common room and down through the halls and staircases. Lupin seemed fairly sure where he was going. Sirius looked around as they went, taking in the infamous school, a bubble of rarely felt happiness inside which only grew when he looked at James. James flashed him a grin and Sirius grinned back.

The bubble stayed until owl mail, then it burst when his mother's owl dropped a scarlet envelope in front of Sirius. It didn't surprise him at all.

"SIRIUS—BLACK—HOW—DARE—YOU—BE—PLACED—IN—GRYFFINDOR!" His mother's voice, digging into him, wrapping its tentacles around every fiber of his being, blacking out the warmth. He felt cold, so cold. "YOU HAVE BROUGHT ABSOLUTE SHAME ON THE BLACK FAMILY NAME WHICH CONSIDERING YOUR LIFE UP UNTIL NOW IS A WONDER YOU'VE MANAGED TO HUMILIATE US MORE THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE! YOUR GRANDFATHER NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK WHEN WE GOT THE NEWS!" Good, Sirius thought wickedly. Hope he dies. "THIS IS YET ANOTHER STEP DOWN YOUR MISGUIDED PATH! YOU BEST CHANGE COURSE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE OR YOU WILL REGRET IT! WE WILL BE WRITING TO THE HEADMASTER TO DEMAND A RESORTING AT ONCE!"

The Howler turned to ash as Sirius tried to drag himself out of the freezing abyss. Resorting? That-wasn't real. Was it? He asked the other first years but they didn't seem to know, except then Lupin mumbled that it wasn't, sending relief flooding through Sirius's body. Of course. Empty threats. His mother couldn't force him to be in Slytherin.

The four boys got onto the topic of family though Lupin quickly ran out of the Great Hall, hardly speaking one word. They watched him go then James brought his hand up to his head, twirling his finger in a circle. Pudgy kid-Pettigrew, he knew now-laughed. Sirius felt a stab of annoyance. He didn't want to say anything, however. There'd be time for that later. Once Lupin became their friend, James would understand.

Understand what? Sirius wondered. Something he himself didn't quite understand. Only that he wanted Lupin to stick around. Then there he was again, cheeks flushed as he approached the three boys again. "W–was asked to g-g-give you these." He dropped papers in front of Pettigrew then took off again.

"What did he g-g-give us?" James asked, trying to keep a straight face as he mocked Lupin.

"Schedules," Pettigrew answered, pushing one to each of the others.

Sirius took his, not really caring. He was looking forward to classes, he supposed, but mostly just looking forward to being at Hogwarts. "You shouldn't really make fun of the way he talks, you know."

"I wasn't," James protested, despite the fact he 100% had been.

The two of them stayed side-by-side, running to classes together, sitting together, whispering to each other. James laughed in Transfiguration when Sirius set his matchstick on fire by accident. Sirius complimented James when James managed to transfigure his matchstick fairly well. The only two people McGonagall really commented on were James and Lupin. Sirius craned his neck to try to see Lupin's matchstick, oddly pleased the tiny boy managed to do so well.

After McGonagall dismissed class she asked Lupin to stay behind. Sirius looked over at him. His golden eyes were enormous, a little fearful. "Oooooh someone's in trouble!" Sirius couldn't help but sing, wanting to tease Lupin. Something inside him wanted Lupin to look at him, to give him attention, even if it was annoyance.

"What did you do, Lupin?" James asked, also teasing, but McGonagall pushed them out of the room. "Whatcha think that was about?" James then asked as they strode off to their next class.

"No idea, probably wanted to tell him how lovely his matchstick turned out or something," Sirius joked, hoping that Lupin wasn't in trouble over anything. It was the first morning! Besides, if anyone got into trouble for something it should be him and James. Actually, it didn't seem fair they hadn't gotten into trouble yet. He mentioned this and James agreed they really needed to cause mischief soon.

After History of Magic (which was an absolute SNOOZE FEST!) Sirius tried to be friendly, asking Lupin if he enjoyed the class since he had observed the boy taking lots of notes (actually he spent quite a bit of History watching Lupin). But Lupin just blushed (which made Sirius's stomach flipflop for some reason) and took off.

"What a weirdo," James said. Sirius lightly elbowed him, however he couldn't disagree completely. "So, I was thinking since we have the afternoon free after Potions, that we figure out something to do," James said as they walked to the Great Hall.

"Something to do along the lines of pranking?" Sirius asked with a grin.

James grinned back. "Naturally."

At lunch they sat together with that Pettigrew kid. James seemed friendly enough with Pettigrew. There was something about him Sirius wasn't too sure about yet however figured if James liked him, he would too. The three of them talked for a bit until Sirius started watching Lupin again, leaving James and Pettigrew to talk.

Lupin was sitting off by himself, nose buried in a book. He was trying to eat while reading, and it wasn't working out so well. He scooped some food up onto his fork then brought it to his mouth... except most the food would slide off the fork during the travel, so only a tiny bit (or none at all) would end up in Lupin's mouth, but Lupin just chewed whether there had been food or not. He seemed really into the book. Sirius tilted his head a bit, trying to see what book it was. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Sirius had never heard of that author but since he barely ever read it didn't surprise him. Maybe it was a book about vanishing spells?

Sirius propped an elbow on the table and put his chin on his hand, just watching, tuning out James and Pettigrew talking about Quidditch. Scoop, went the fork. Plop, went the food. And Lupin put the empty fork in his mouth, pulled it away, and chewed without looking once away from his book. Then suddenly he dropped his fork, his golden-amber eyes going huge, his mouth forming a little 'O'. His eyes darted back and forth, reading rapidly. He quickly turned the page, even more invested in the book for a moment until whatever it was calmed down, and he returned to eating. His hand groped around on the table, fingers curling around the handle of his spoon instead of his fork. Lupin began trying to eat again, with a spoon. Since he had chosen pasta it really didn't work.

Lupin didn't seem to care or even notice.

What an oblivious dumbass, Sirius thought rather dreamily, and knew in that moment there was no doubt whatsoever inside of him: he had to have the strange boy in his life.